stocking help - 40 breeder with pangios

[zmo63]

I posted earlier about the progress on my new pangio tank, Now I need stocking help!

It's a 40 Breeder - 36" long, 18" deep, 16" high

Pangios obviously. I have six of various species, including one Myersi who just hit a growth spurt. I'd like to add more, but how many?

Dithers: I definitely want some type of danio and/or rasbora. I'm partial to very small fish, so that I can have a bigger school and so they'll have more room to swim. Three possibilities (so far):

1. I have over 20 celestial pearl danio babies that are about to outgrow their 10 gallon tank. I could keep a few of them in the 10 and sell the rest, OR I could throw the whole lot of them in the new pangio tank. Would they mix well? I'm worried they're too shy.

2. Alternative would be phoenix rasboras or something similar.

3. Or a mix of phoenix rasboras and CPDs. I was wondering if that might be a good mix, because I've heard that adding a school of braver fish makes the CPDs less shy. I like to tend towards fewer species, but wonder if in this case, a mix would actually be better. Also, I don't know much about phoenix rasboras. Maybe they're just as shy?

And finally, can I have a horsefaced loach? I've been reading about them on here, and it seems that even though they get large, they're not very active. I really want one, but not if it's going to outgrow the tank. Also, can they be kept singly?

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Diana]

I have a single Horseface Loach. When I got him I had read they are not as social as most Loaches, and do better by themselves.

Some sort of school to swim in the upper areas would be nice. I have found that really small fish tend to get lost in such a large tank, though. I would go with something at least an inch long, SL, if not a bit bigger.

[starsplitter7]

I have 8 Horsefaced Loaches with my Kuhlies (5 species -- I think), and they all hang out together. You'll see one fish resting with its head on the back of the other. Or my horses will all line up together. They are filter feeders sifting the sand for yummies. They also munch on shrimp pellets. The younger ones are more active. And they are all capable of moving very fast. I often see eyes or eyes and noses. But at night they'll be out in pack working the sand for yummies. Sometimes I just see/hear a swirl of sand. It is funny because you can look in the tank and it is empty.

A school of dwarf Cories for the midtank would be cool.

[Emma Turner]

Hi zmo63,

Make sure you quarantine any new Pangios as unfortunately they are well renowned for coming in with problems, and sometimes this is only apparent several days after import, and some shops may enter into the bad practice of putting them on sale straight away. You definitely wouldn't want to put your current stock at risk.

I would personally opt for a big group of one of the smaller Rasbora species for a Pangio tank, because not only are many of them very beautiful, but more importantly they often enjoy the same conditions. CPDs tend to do best in moderately hard, alkaline water, and the Pangios will prefer it a bit softer.

I find that Horseface Loaches can be quite active when they want to be, such as when they make wild dives into and amongst the substrate. Juveniles would be ok in your tank, but I think they'd evetually want a bigger footprint. And believe me, they are a total sod to try and catch (particularly if you don't want to have to ruin a nice aquascape)! I'd also recommend that they should be kept in groups.

Hope this helps,

Emma

[Batch]

3. Or a mix of phoenix rasboras and CPDs. I was wondering if that might be a good mix, because I've heard that adding a school of braver fish makes the CPDs less shy. I like to tend towards fewer species, but wonder if in this case, a mix would actually be better. Also, I don't know much about phoenix rasboras. Maybe they're just as shy?

I keep a small school of each of these two in my 15L. Both are always out in the open and not shy at all. (There are plenty of places where they could hide and I would never see them). I think they are a good mix!

Batch

[zmo63]

Ok, horseface loaches are out then Another time, another tank!

I'll have to have a think about what to do with my CPDs. I don't do anything different to the tank they're in - i.e. it's the same soft neutral water, but I do try to keep it a few degrees cooler. That alone might be a good enough reason to leave them where they are.

I think Diana, you have a good point about tiny fish getting lost - I love the look of the phoenix, but I may be better off going with something a bit bigger. Maybe Boraras brigittae? I like those just as well.

Batch, I'm glad to hear that you've had success with the CPDs and rasboras though! I might need to try that for a different tank. Do they school together at all? Do they act differently? In another tank, I have a large group of rasbora espei and a few danio kyathit. They all kind of school together, but the danios are much more boisterous, and I often see them chasing each other in circles around the larger school of rasboras.

Thanks everyone - it's so great to hear from people who actually have these fish!

[Batch]

Batch, I'm glad to hear that you've had success with the CPDs and rasboras though! I might need to try that for a different tank. Do they school together at all? Do they act differently? In another tank, I have a large group of rasbora espei and a few danio kyathit. They all kind of school together, but the danios are much more boisterous, and I often see them chasing each other in circles around the larger school of rasboras.

Thanks everyone - it's so great to hear from people who actually have these fish!

The rasboras school together, but the CPD don't really school, just chase each other a bit.

Batch